Posts Tagged ‘Insight’

For most of this decade, Toyota’s 46-mpg Prius was all the rage with people. It seemed like everyone wanted one! It has sure enjoyed the fame. The only other car that even comes close is Honda’s 42-mpg Civic Hybrid, enter the 4 door 2010 Honda Insight. Like Toyota’s “green machine” it offers comparable fuel economy and a look alike hatchback at a nice lower price.

The 2010 Honda Insight largely improves upon the tried-and-true formula of the rival Prius, and it costs thousands less. It has an affordable price that most people can appreciate, excellent fuel economy, seamless hybrid powertrain, pleasant driving experience.

But the doting question is, is Honda offering less due to the lower price? There is no simple answer, it is both Yes and no. The big question most people have is fuel economy. In this, the Honda appears to fail. At the time, the Insight hadn’t been EPA tested, but Honda estimates the results will be 40 MPG city, 43 highway, 41 combined. The 2009 Prius is officially EPA rated at 48/45/46. It’ll be interesting to see how big that gap is when the 2010 Prius is revealed. Of course, the $2,500 price differential will buy a nice load of gas.

Driving around in a Hybrid has actually become quite fun. Other than the fact that I am not a car type of person, I am loving the fact that I can go 500+ miles on $20 in gas. Okay that may be a bit of a dramatized statement but it is nice to not have to get gas every few days. That had to be my #1 selling point especially with the price of gas these days.

I love that it is so quite while running. It’s hard to get used to the fact that you can’t hear them! So good so far right? Not so much… This test driver thinks it has a very tight backseat and a lot of invasive road noise. Also, like the Toyota Prius, the major thing I did not like about this car was the back window. When you look in the rear view mirror all you see is the the window divider. It is one of the most annoying things about these little cars. I have found it on a few of them now. Maybe I am just to short….

If you are not up to learning about your vehicle and you are the “jump in and go” type, I don’t recommend these cars. There is so much in formation on the dashboard and it is quite overwhelming at first. If you own a Honda Insight, I would love to hear what you think of yours!